Treasures Offered For Green

RANDALL MELL ON LOCAL GOLF

September 17, 2003|RANDALL MELL ON LOCAL GOLF

For 44 years, North Palm Beach's Gary Wiren has lovingly assembled one of the world's premier golf collections.

A founding member of the Golf Collector's Society, Wiren won't reveal what he estimates his treasure is worth, but he proudly asserts that it must rank among the top 10 eclectic private collections in the world.

He owns more than 2,500 golf clubs, more than 1,000 balls and a rare library of 2,000 books with original copies of nearly all the classics of golf. But it's the unusual stuff that sets his collection apart.

"I have some oddball items," said Wiren, a master instructor at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach and founder of the PGA's National Golf Academy.

Wiren owns gutta percha balls that are more than 150 years old and featherie balls even older than that. He owns wooden-shafted clubs, including hickory, but it's the quirky stuff that he has learned to love just as much. Like his golf comic book collection, golf-themed sheet music and golf stamp collection.

"It may not be the best collection, or the most valuable, but I think it's the most interesting," Wiren said.

And the big news among golf collectors is that this rare collection is up for sale.

Wiren won't say how much he is asking, but if you aren't a millionaire, you'll need a great line of credit. Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Charles Schwab and Jack Welch are among guests Wiren has invited to peruse the collection, housed in a museum room in his home.

Prices from other collections give an idea of how valuable golf collectibles are. Jack Fleck's U.S. Open medal (1955) sells for more than $36,000, and the oldest golf club known to exist (from the 1700s) was sold for $145,000.

The odd one-of-a-kind items especially appeal to Wiren, who was just named executive editor of the new Classics of Golf book collection (www.classicsofgolf.com). This summer he added a personal signpost to his collection that had sat in the front yard of Walter Hagen's home. The sign reads The Haig. A short summary of Wiren's collection is described at www.garywiren.com.

Team Championships

Florida is tied for 21st, seven shots behind, through the first round of the U.S. State Team Championships at Charles River Country Club at Newton Centre, Mass. Fort Lauderdale's Rick Woulfe shot 71, Boca Raton's Michael Nealy 71 and Jacksonville's Andy Purnell 72.

The team's two lowest scores are used in the three-day, 52-team event.

South Florida PGA awards

Jeff Wilson, the director of golf at Williams Island Country Club, has won the South Florida PGA Section Southern Chapter's Bill Strausbaugh Award. The honor recognizes a chapter member's commitment and leadership in promoting the game and mentoring fellow professionals.

Jason Lorentz of Oriole Golf & Tennis Club in Margate has won the chapter's Apprentice of the Year Award, and Gary Braeseke of All Golf at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines claimed the Junior Golf Leader Award.

Chip shots

Boca Raton's St. Andrew's School is host team for the first Kathy Krickstein Pressel Memorial Golf Invitational on Friday at Delray Dunes in Boynton Beach. Tee times are to begin at 1 p.m. Kathy Krickstein Pressel, the mother of St. Andrew's standout Morgan Pressel, died Sept. 4 at 43 of cancer.

The South Florida Women's Professional Golf Tour is planning its third tournament, a two-woman team event, Sept. 29 at Boca West Country Club. Call 561-998-1602 or 561-702-9115 for registration information. ...

Ed Sabo of Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach defeated Frank Dobbs of Port St. Lucie 5 and 3 in the finals of the SFPGA Section's Southeast Chapter Match Play Championship at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens.

Randall Mell's local golf column appears Wednesdays. He can be reached at rmell@sun-sentinel.com, and he can be heard on WQAM (560-AM) at 7 a.m. Saturdays.